Gilead Sciences and WHO to tackle leishmaniasis

Gilead Sciences has announced a new five-year partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to tackle the deadly condition visceral leishmaniasis (VL).

The agreement will see the pharmaceutical company donating 445,000 vials of the drug AmBisome to treat more than 50,000 patients affected by the condition, which is also known as kala-azar.

AmBisome has been recommended as the safest, most effective treatment for VL, which is widespread in South Asia and the Horn of Africa and has a mortality rate of almost 100 percent if it is not treated.

Gilead has supported WHO's leishmaniasis control initiatives since 1992 by providing access to low-cost therapies, as part of the company's wider Gilead Access Program.

Dr John Martin, chairman and chief executive officer of Gilead Sciences, said: "Working in conjunction with health ministries, WHO will now be able to save more lives by expanding patient access to AmBisome."

Last week, the company announced positive new clinical trial data for cobicistat, a promising developmental pharmacoenhancing agent for HIV medicines.